MADDERLY THE PROTECTOR
by notaprincess13
Summary: Loki and Madderly have been friends since childhood.


MADDERLY THE PROTECTOR

Madderly, the goddess of protection. She was a beautiful woman. Her skin was a rather uncommon olive color and she had short, wavy, brown hair. She peered kindly on everyone through small hazel eyes. If her appearance did not impress you, her power would. Madderly held the power to shield an entire army with a simple wave of her hand. She was the best protector in all of Asgard.

Madderly had been best friends with Loki, god of mischief, since they were children. They knew everything about each other because they did everything together.

CHILDHOOD

Little Madderly and her brother sat outside their home under a tree. Although they were siblings, they were polar opposites. Sweet Madderly, a goddess of protection, looked at everything she saw as innocent and beautiful. Young Felos, on the other hand, the god of death, saw everything through destructive eyes. In his mind, everything that Madderly saw as innocent was meant to die.

Madderly smiled as a small bird fluttered into her hand. It stood silently as the goddess and the animal looked at each other.

"What a pretty bird. May I see it?" Felos asked. Madderly looked at him hesitantly.

"You're not going to hurt it, are you?" Madderly asked.

"No. I just want to hold it." Felos assured. Still wary of her brother's actions, she passed the tiny bird to him. The creature hopped onto his hand and Felos smiled sweetly at it. Just as Madderly started to gain some trust and assurance that he wanted nothing more than to admire the bird, Felos began to close his hand around it. The bird chirped in pain.

"Felos, stop!" Madderly cried out. There were crunching sounds as the bird's body disappeared into his hand, leaving only a small blue wing poking out of the boy's fist. He continued to smile as he opened his hand and tossed the bird's body aside. Madderly stood up, horrified at what her brother had done.

"I'm telling mother!" Felos stood up also and pointed a bloody finger at his sister.

"Hold your tongue, sister. If she were to find out that you did nothing to stop me, what would she do to you? Or, more importantly, what would I do to you were I to be punished?" Felos threatened. The terrified young girl put her tongue between her front teeth and bit down gently, parting her lips so her brother could see. She was holding her tongue, as she was told. This would later become a habit whenever she would lie or do something she knew wasn't right.

"It's not right. One shouldn't have to fear their family." Madderly said as she and Loki walked through his home.

"He wouldn't hurt you. I know it." Loki assured.

"How do you know?" Madderly asked.

"If you truly love someone, you don't want to hurt them." Loki answered.

"What if he doesn't love me? He could kill me." Madderly pointed out fearfully. Loki stopped and took her hands.

"I won't let him." Loki said softly. They smiled at each other and for a moment, Madderly was happy.

A few days later, Felos and Madderly were walking through their house. In his belt, Felos kept a dagger hidden from his frightened sister. Felos slowly opened the door to which their parents were in. He looked at them innocently and they smiled at their child.

"Hello, mother." Felos smiled, walking up to his mother. He put his arms out and they embraced.

Suddenly, their mother cried out and her eyes filled with tears. As Felos stepped away, Madderly could see blood staining her mother's green dress and Felos holding the dagger he had stabbed her with. The woman fell on the stone floor. The children's father jumped up from where he sat, but Felos was quick. He took the dagger and threw it into the man's chest. He gave a gasp and a groan before falling just like his wife. Felos walked up to his father's body and pulled the black-handled dagger from his chest. He turned to his terrified, crying sister. She opened her mouth to scream, but he pointed the dagger at her and she stopped. "Hold. Your. Tongue." Felos commanded, walking towards her. Knowing he would kill her is she made noise, she instead turned and fled from the house.

She ran to Loki's home, not knowing where else to go with her brother right behind her all the while.

"Loki! Loki!" Madderly cried out. Felos caught up to her and tackled his sister to the ground. "No!" She struggled out of her brother's grip and crawled across the ground.

"He can't help you." Felos teased, walking before her. He pulled her up and pushed her against the wall of Loki's home.

"Loki!" Madderly shrieked one last time.

"Hold your tongue, Madderly." Felos demanded. "You would not wish to involve him in this, would you?" Madderly closed her eyes as tears streamed down from them. Neither of them noticed, but a shimmering light coated her body before fading away. Felos raised the knife, smiled, and brought the knife down on her head. They were both shocked as the knife clinked against her scalp as if her skin were made of stone. Felos looked at the crying girl curiously before lifting the knife again.

"No!" Madderly screamed, putting her hands up. Nothing happened. Madderly didn't hear another clink. She didn't feel the knife tip against her head. She opened her eyes to see her brother frozen with the knife raised over his head. He was covered in the same light that she was. Madderly brought her hands down, but kept them directed at her brother. She had rendered him motionless. He was in a capsule that she held him in. She stood up cautiously and, while keeping one hand directed towards her murderous brother, grabbed the knife from him. Madderly walked around him so he was against the wall instead of her. She let her hand down and his arms fell. Felos turned around and smirked at her.

"You won't kill me. You love me too much." Felos taunted. Madderly heard Loki's words ringing in her ears.

"If you truly love someone, you don't want to hurt them." Loki had said.

"I don't love you." Madderly cried, although she was trying more to convince herself than him. She lunged forward and stabbed her brother in the stomach with his own dagger. She stepped back and watched him fall to the ground before falling beside him. Young Madderly knelt by her brother's body and sobbed for only a few minutes before Loki ran outside to find her.

When he saw the poor, dirty girl, he walked carefully towards her.

"Madderly." Loki addressed softly. He put his hand gently on her shoulder, but she screamed and crawled away. "No, Madderly!" Loki yelled, chasing after her. He caught up with her and turned her around so she was facing him, but she still struggled to break free of his gentle grip. "Madderly, look at me! Look at me." Loki pleaded. Madderly stopped struggling and shouting and looked at the sweet boy that she recognized as her best friend.

"Loki." Madderly whispered. "He-he tried to..." She broke down sobbing and clung to Loki. Even though she didn't say it, Loki knew what she meant. That was the day Loki swore to protect the innocent girl.

THOR

They met just before Thor's crowning, just outside the decorated building.

"Are you certain, Loki?" Madderly asked.

"Absolutely." Loki grinned.

"I know that you have had moments of envy when it comes to your brother." Madderly reminded.

"That may be so, but I love Thor and today is a time for joy." Loki smiled. Madderly hugged her best friend before the two went inside for the celebration.

The ceremony had been had going beautifully, although Madderly had taken a few questioning looks at Loki in an attempt to read his expression.

"Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you-" Odin began. He stopped and looked past his son. Everyone looked in the direction his gazed was fixed and noticed ice forming just over the banners in the hall which they stood. They all listened to the crackling as it coated the fabric. "Frost giants..." Loki's immediate reaction was to jump up and follow his brother out the door, but something stopped him.

"Loki!" Madderly called after him. He stopped and turned around. "You forgot something." Madderly took his hand in both of hers and Loki was instantly coated in a shimmering light that soon faded.

"Thank you." Loki smiled. She smiled just before he turned and ran after the others.

Loki was just walking to Madderly's home, ready to tell her of his adventure with Thor when he stopped dead in his tracks. His body was covered in a shimmering light and he couldn't move.

"Loki Odinson, how dare you!" Loki heard Madderly yell behind him. He smiled to himself, knowing what was to come as she walked in front of him, her hand raised.

"Hello, Madderly." Loki smiled innocently.

"How could you do this? What made you think that it was acceptable to run off to fight without having me protect you? You could have died, Loki. What would Thor have done? What would I have done without you?" Madderly shouted, letting a couple of tears fall from her eyes. The words she spoke were true, though. He could still remember the day when he found her, covered in dirt and blood, sobbing by her brother's body. That was still to this day, the scariest moment of Loki's life. She grew up with Loki and Loki alone. If he had died in that battle she would have no one.

"I didn't want you to worry about me." Loki admitted. Madderly scoffed at him.

"You are smart, Loki, the smartest in your family at times. It baffles me as to why you cannot see. How you can be so blind to the fact that it would be better for me to worry and you to live than to have you die while I drift deeper into madness, something that even I cannot protect myself from. How could you be so reckless? So careless? Damn you, Loki." Madderly cried. She finally let her hand down and threw her arms around the now free Loki. He held her tightly.

"I'm sorry." Loki whispered.

After Odin had fallen into his Odinsleep, Loki fled to Madderly to tell her the secret he had just learned about himself. Madderly saw Loki running and walked outside to meet him.

"Loki." Madderly smiled.

"Madderly. I have something to tell you." Loki said urgently.

"What is it?" Madderly asked.

"My father has been lying to me." Loki informed.

"Lying? About what?" Madderly asked. Loki paused and looked at her nervously.

"I'm a frost giant. Son of Laufey." Loki answered gently, tears streaming down his face. Madderly looked at him in a bit shock, not knowing what to say or how to react. "I won't blame you if you are afraid of me. You'll never have to see me again."

"Afraid? What have I to fear?" Madderly asked. "Loki, you are no different from the boy I knew yesterday. You were always a frost giant. If you have not changed, why should I look upon you differently? You will always be my kind, sweet prince." She took his hands in hers and smiled at him. He smiled back at her as their faces drew ever closer to each other until their lips met.

"Madderly, will you be my queen?" Loki whispered.

"Yes." Madderly smiled before kissing him again.

Madderly walked into the throne room to see Loki sitting on the throne, donning his ceremonial headpiece. She walked slowly up the staircase and stood before him.

"Well, don't you look pretty." Madderly smiled.

"You are the one who is pretty, Madderly." Loki grinned. Madderly walked forward.

"Well, if I'm pretty, I guess that means you're beautiful." Madderly teased, sitting on Loki's lap. They smiled at each other, Loki's hand on her back before kissing. While the couple were kissing, there was a boom as the door opened. Madderly quickly stood and sat on the arm of his throne with her hand on Loki's shoulder.

To put Madderly's mind at ease, Loki brought her to see him off at the gates, but put her under a concealment spell to protect her. After he froze Heimdall, Madderly became visible and reached out to touch Loki's shoulder, but he shook her off. He was still in his Jotun form and he didn't want her to see him like that.

"No! Wait." Loki commanded.

"Loki..." Madderly sighed, walking in front of him. At first, Loki turned his head in a desperate attempt to hide his face, but eventually gave in and looked at her with concerned eyes. She stepped a bit closer, studying every marking in his face. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his cheek, but quickly pulled it away. His skin was freezing.

"Sorry." Loki apologized softly.

"Don't be. It's not something you can help." Madderly dismissed. She touched his cheek again, embracing the cold this time. She leaned forward and kissed his icy lips, shielding him in light. "Just make sure you come back." She came a bit closer to his ear. "I love you." Madderly whispered. Loki's skin faded back into its normal color and Madderly could see that he was blushing.

"I love you, too." Loki smiled.

Madderly waited patiently in her home for Loki's return until she heard a banging on her door. However, when she opened it, it was not Loki, but his brother.

"Thor. Where's Loki?" Madderly asked. Thor hesitated to tell her, fearing her reaction.

"I'm sorry, Madderly. He's gone." Thor informed gently.

"No." Madderly said sternly.

"Yes, Madderly."

"How do you know?" Madderly demanded.

"I watched him fall into a void. There was nothing I could do." Thor informed.

"You speak lies, Odinson! I do not believe that there was nothing you could do!" Madderly cried out. "Your brother is dead and it is your hands that his blood has been spilt upon! To all others you may be called the king of Asgard, but to me you are none but a prince! Loki was my only true king."

"Madderly..." Thor began.

"Hold your tongue, I am not finished speaking. I cannot think of any possible way that you will be able to redeem your worth, that you will reclaim your title! Thor, I advise you to stay out of my line of sight, lest you end up like your brother." From that point on, Madderly was known as "Mad Madderly". Thor was very careful to avoid the mad woman out of fear. Though, it was not her threats that frightened the mighty god. It was but a simple sentence. "Hold your tongue." He knew from stories that Loki would tell in their childhood that her crazed brother had said this to her many times. The only time Madderly had heard this set of words used was by a madman. Now she was repeating them without an ounce of fear in her heart. Thor wondered, what did that say about her? He couldn't help but dread that she was going to follow poor Felos' footsteps.

THE AVENGERS

"I thought you dead." Thor growled, picking up Loki.

"Did you mourn?" Loki asked.

"We all did. Our father..." Thor began.

"Your father." Loki halted. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

"Madderly..." Thor growled. For just a split second and no longer, Loki had a pained expression on his face. He remembered the girl he loved. The girl who, already on the brink of insanity, had sworn that if she lost him that she would surely go mad.

"What of my dear Madderly?" Loki asked almost defensively.

"When I told her of your death, she lost her mind. She won't let me see her without trying to kill me." Thor informed.

"You should have brought her with you. We could have been mad together." Loki grinned, although it hurt him to think of what he did to her.


End file.
